Tucker Beathard’s Brother Clay Dies in Nashville Bar Stabbing

Clay Beathard, the younger brother of country singer Tucker Beathard and son of songwriter Casey Beathard, died after being stabbed outside a bar in Nashville, Tenn., on Saturday morning (Dec. 21). The college football player was one of three victims, one of whom survived.

Metro Nashville police responded to a call about a stabbing on the 1900 block of Division Street at 2:50AM Nashville time on Saturday. Officers report that an argument over a woman that began inside The Dogwood, located at 1907 Division St., between 19th Avenue South and Lyle Avenue, became a physical altercation when the parties involved went outside. WRKN reports that "an unwanted advancement [was] made by a man toward a woman in the bar” and, according to friends, Beathard and the other two victims of the stabbing had stepped in to help her.

Three men, including Clay Beathard, who was 22, were stabbed during the incident outside The Dogwood. Beathard and 21-year-old Paul Trapeni III, Beathard's friend, were taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where they died of their injuries. The third victim, whose name was not given but who is 21 years old, was admitted to the hospital for wounds to his eye and arm.

Nashville police are still searching for the suspect or suspects in the stabbing, and are looking for information on four people shown in surveillance video footage, stills of which are above. On Sunday evening (Dec. 22), one of the four was identified as 23-year-old Michael Mosley, whom police say is "strongly believed to have definitive information about the murders” but is "being sought for questioning only at this time," per WKRN. Anyone with a tip about Mosley's whereabouts or details about the other three people should call Nashville Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463.

Clay Beathard is one of five children born to country music songwriter Casey Beathard and his wife Susan. In addition to his singer brother, Clay Beathard's siblings are San Francisco 49ers quarterback CJ Beathard -- who, per a statement from the 49ers, has "traveled home" to be with his family -- and sisters Charly and Tatum. His grandfather, Bobby Beathard, is a Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee and former NFL general manager.

Clay Beathard graduated from Battle Ground Academy in 2017, and was playing college football at Long Island University after transferring from Iowa Western Community College, his LIU Athletics profile reports. He was a junior majoring in sports management.

"Clay was an amazing, big and soft hearted human being with an undeniable love for the Lord. He had his family's, friends' and teammates' backs even to a fault. I wish he would have been more inclined to take the high road but he hated 'wrong,'" reads a statement from the Beathards. "Yes, he was stubborn sometimes but mostly because his beliefs were strong. He lived a full life except for the chance at being the incredible father I knew he would have been. He loved kids, underdogs and the less fortunate ...

"He will be missed. That is an understatement. Nobody's light shined like his when he smiled," the family's statement continues. "That is what we will hold in our hearts because we know he is smiling now. He always worried about all of our welfare, never his own. I say that to say, to those who knew and loved him, please lean into the Lord’s strength, trust in the Lord and carry on. Carry him with you like a chip on your shoulder, like the one he carried. He loved people saying he could do something. That’s where he thrived mostly."

The Beathards' statement concludes, "He was never afraid of a challenge so please, all of you, take on the next challenge with faith in God and knowing Clay is smiling down and has your back. I love all of you and I love for the gift he was to us for a little while."

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